This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my college friend, Anahi, who’s a true girl’s girl and all-around gem.

She shares what it was like emotionally adjusting to pregnancy, how she and her husband tackled labor as a team, and her empowering (mostly unmedicated!) birth story with an epidural at the 12-hour mark. We also dive into the raw postpartum haze, and the tough emotions that came with returning to work just three months after giving birth.

Anahi’s story is full of love, honesty, and community, highlighting the people who showed up for her in big and small ways. This episode feels like a warm hug for any new or expecting parent.

In this episode:

• The emotional adjustment of pregnancy
• Prepping mentally for a positive birth
• A mostly unmedicated labor with an epidural assist
• Supportive nurses + birth team wins
• The guilt and growth of returning to work postpartum

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday

📱 Follow along on Instagram @thelaborline

Chapters:

00:00 - Meet Anahi

06:19 - Pregnancy: Adjusting to "New Normal" Mentally & Emotionally

19:32 - Labor: Late Stage Epidural + Supportive Husband, Mom, & Medical Staff

36:29 - Postpartum: Raw Emotions + Relying on Others for Support

41:59 - Returning to Work: Mom Guilt & Putting Your Child First

49:23 - To My Pre-Mom Self...

This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my sister-friend Becca, the kind of mom who brings light, laughter, and a roll-with-the-punches attitude to everything life (and birth) throws at her.

She walks us through her 10-year journey into motherhood, which BEGAN with a 10+ pound baby (yes, really) and has since included:

• Gestational diabetes
• Jaundice
• A rare genetic diagnosis
• Three C-sections
• Four cross-country moves
• Oh yeah– and three graduate degrees between her and her husband in their "spare" time!

Today, she shares her insights into juggling the raw emotions of motherhood, including life after pregnancy loss, staying optimistic amidst the chaos, and relishing in the little everyday joys. Her story is an example of the adaptability required to be a modern mom that gives hope to anyone wondering, “How can I do this?”

Fair warning, today’s episode comes with a lot of laughter and stories from the OR that will leave your jaw on the floor!

• Long labor that led to 3 planned C-sections
• Managing gestational diabetes like a champ
• Navigating pregnancy loss while raising toddlers
• What not to say to someone while tying their tubes
• A rare ZTTK syndrome diagnosis that transformed their family.

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday

📱 Follow along on Instagram @thelaborline

00:00 - Meet Becca

07:11 - Were We Truly Ready to be Parents?

08:40 - 1st Pregnancy: Intense Nausea in the Texas Heat

13:49 - 1st Delivery: 29 Hours & An Epidural Into a C-Section

27:26 - 1st Postpartum: A Positive Transition Into Parenthood

31:05 - 2nd Pregnancy: Learning to Manage Gestational Diabetes

38:00 - 2nd Delivery: Positive Planned C-Section + Skin-to-Skin

40:57 - 2nd Postpartum: Jaundice, Sleep Struggles, &Community Support with 2 Under 2

46:30 - Processing Pregnancy Loss

48:22 - 3rd Pregnancy: Minor Gestational Diabetes & Enlarged Brain Ventricles

52:32 - 3rd Delivery: Planned C-Section + NICU Stay

57:34 - 3rd Postpartum: Unique Developmental Struggles + COVID

1:01:41 - Journey to a ZTTK Diagnosis

This week on The Labor Line, I’m joined by my powerhouse of a mom-friend, Lindsy, who brings the kind of raw, beautiful honesty that this podcast is all about.

After a smooth pregnancy, things took a wild turn: her OB completely ghosted her, the backup Physician's Assistant dropped the ball, and on the morning of delivery, Lindsy found out her baby was breech (even though she’d been told for weeks he was head-down).

She opens up about the real emotions of an unexpected C-section, how it felt to be dismissed by medical staff, and the heartbreak and resilience that came with her baby’s hip dysplasia diagnosis. Oh! And did I mention, I was her doula?

This is a story about trusting your gut, fighting for your voice, and learning to bond with your baby even when birth doesn’t go the way you imagined.

• A positive, uneventful pregnancy (until it wasn’t)
• Getting ghosted by your OB + a careless backup PA
• A surprise breech diagnosis and C-section delivery
• Real talk on trauma, healing, and bonding with baby
• Encouragement for parents learning to advocate for themselves

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday

📱 Follow along @thelaborline

00:00 - Meet Lindsy

06:52 - A Smooth, Unplanned Pregnancy

11:34 - Doctor Red Flags

13:58 - A Breech Baby & Traumatic, Unexpected C-Section

24:36 - Careless Nurses & High Blood Pressure

30:16 - The Grief of Unmet Expectations

37:29 - Advocate For Yourself!!

46:32 - Bonding With Baby After Difficult Birth

49:43 - Finding Peace & Meaning

Welcome to the very first episode of The Labor Line! I’m your host, Emily — a non-mom who’s always been weirdly obsessed with birth. (Like… childhood Barbie birth scenarios obsessed.)

To kick things off, I’m joined by my dear friend Kylie, who may or may not have told her OB to shut up while pushing. From not being sure she even wanted kids, to navigating fertility struggles, Kylie takes us through all the twists, turns, and TUMS of pregnancy (hello, carpal tunnel and raging heartburn).

We talk about her labor and delivery — the real stuff, like what surprised her, what hurt, and what helped. And we dive into the postpartum fog, including her breastfeeding journey and how she found support when things got hard.

If you’re into real, vulnerable, laugh-through-the-tears kind of birth stories, you’re in the right place.

In this episode:

• Changing your mind about motherhood
• Carpal tunnel, heartburn, and other pregnancy joys 🙃
• The emotional weight of labor + delivery
• Real talk about breastfeeding and asking for help
• Words of love and encouragement for new moms

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday.

📱 Let’s hang out @thelaborline

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Practically Pain-Free Birth Course by the Mighty Mama Movement

Labor like a Goddess by Lauren Mahana

Motherlove More Milk Plus by Motherlove

Chapters

00:00 - Introducing: The Labor Line!!

05:49 - Meet Kylie

11:15 - A Winding Road to Pregnancy

20:31 - Pregnancy: Carpal Tunnel, Birthing Prep, & Peeling Wallpaper

32:48 - Labor: Pain Reality Check, Epidural Relief, & Squatted Pushing]

45:14 - Breastfeeding: A Tounge Tie Mystery

59:12 - To My Pre-Mom Self…